The Pokémon in the clearing were tense. There wasn't a single individual here not ready to jump into a fight if needed. Yet, the member of the International Police at the edge did not bring out a Pokémon. In fact, I didn't even see any Pokéballs on Anabel's hip.

"Don't worry. I mean no harm," Anabel said. She held up her hands to demonstrate that she had truly come empty-handed.

"Yeah, but you have to understand why we’d be on guard, right?” I said. “We’re in the middle of the jungle yet you’ve somehow managed to find our private training camp. Considering how we’re nowhere near a city, there’s an obvious reason we’d be on edge when someone randomly approaches us.”

I didn't need to be so harsh in my words, but at the same time, I didn't care. I only trusted members of the International Police as far as I could throw them, and I didn’t have the strength to toss them very far. After everything I’d been told about their treatment of Fallers, I had a right to be suspicious. Not just that, but when I first met Anabel, she had been next to a high-level member of the Aether Foundation who was arguably the most corrupt. To me, that said a lot about the International Police’s willingness to overlook certain acts.

"Again, I really just came here to talk. I have no malicious intentions," Anabel repeated.

I hate that I can't read her face. How long did she practice schooling her expression?

"Fine," I replied, "then you wouldn't mind if I brought a few Pokémon with me during our ‘talk,’ would you?"

She slightly bowed her head.

"Go ahead."

Unfortunately, as a member of the Wandering Elite, I had a duty to hear her out, no matter how raised my suspicions were. Heading to the edge of our campsite, I nodded to Ninetales and Mawile, and the pair walked over to escort us out. To keep things quick, Ninetales let Mawile hop on her back, becoming a mounted duo that could make use of Ninetales’s high speed.

For some reason, Anabel's gaze seemed to linger on them as we moved out into the jungle.

"What’s with that look?” I all but accused once we were a bit away.

Anabel cleared her throat.

"My apologies. The combination was unexpected. The way Mawile is riding Ninetales... it’s rather cute."

I blinked. Mawile shifted to face away, using her jaws to hide her blush. Ninetales just preened as I stared at the unreadable Anabel, in complete disbelief.

"To get to the main topic,” Anabel pushed on, “Alex, I came here on my own without informing my superiors. This meeting is not random, nor was it approved. It took using the collection of the UB-03 as an excuse to talk to you privately.”

"The Xurkitree?” I paused. “Why? Adding to that—Hope isn’t here. You understand why I have little reason to trust you, especially since you’ve lured me away from Lillie?"

"That’s... an unhappy coincidence. I merely wanted to—"

Out of nowhere, Anabel paused and cocked her head to the side.

"Where are your Psychic Types?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your mental protection—it's still there but there’s no Pokémon around capable of protecting you."

I felt a sudden chill go down my spine.

"How do you know that?" I asked slowly.

I knew she was one of the few human psychics, but if she recognized my mental protection, I had to wonder if she had just tried to read my mind.

At my words, Anabel's face twinged with something, garnering the first bit of reaction I’d seen so far. I made note of that as she struggled to find her words. I did my best to suppress any surface thoughts I had, but it made me think that she wasn’t used to being caught off guard.

"No. It's... It’s passive. I don't control whether or not my psychic powers are active. I can only direct them with conscious effort. I detected your protection. I did not push."

"And I’m supposed to believe that?”

Her lips pressed together.

“I have no way of confirming it. I can only ask you to trust me.”

“Trust you?” I crossed my arms. “After showing up with Faba, you almost explicitly told me the International Police had their eyes on me. And what exactly did you say? ‘There are plans you’ll need to help us with?’ Why should I trust you about that threat?”

“It was a warning,” Anabel replied.

I stayed quiet.

“I wanted to warn you to keep your head down, but you went and did the exact opposite of that, didn’t you?”

Her gaze briefly flicked over my shoulder, towards where Lillie was with the rest of our Pokémon. I trusted the members of my team I left behind to keep her state, but something still stirred in my gut at Anabel’s words.

"Fine, I’ll trust you. How about this? You should know my mental protection isn't from any of my Pokémon. It was put on me by the Lake Guardians of Sinnoh."

"...What? That— That doesn’t make any sense!”

I smirked.

Got you.

Anabel’s face finally shifted away from her calm and cool expression. It twisted up in utter bewilderment and confusion. I wasn’t too bothered about revealing this—the knowledge wasn’t actionable in the slightest. I’d reached the level where my team was strong enough to defend me if needed, and enough had changed in the background that I wasn’t too worried about the wrong people finding things out.

Besides, I had a feeling Anabel wasn’t going to report any of this to her superiors.

She continued to sputter as I tapped my foot, waiting. Her absolutely flabbergasted face was delightful. She managed to cough out a few words after enough time had passed, but now I was seeing more hints about how she was feeling. Revealing the interference of a few Legendary Pokémon had created a much better interaction than I had thought.

"You— It’s..." The normally unflappable Anabel grit her teeth and tried her best to look calm.

"You answered my question. I’ll answer yours. I came out here because I want you to bring Cosmog out of the region. It’s imperative it doesn’t stick around."

My expression fell flat.

"Excuse me?"

"The Aether Foundation has done its research. The International Police has found it out. Lusamine has her sights on Cosmog, as there’s something about it that’s key to all her plans. For obvious reasons, it needs to remain out of her hands. I warned you before and I’ll warn your again. Lusamine must not succeed."

Anabel let out a long breath in an attempt to better calm herself, and she proceeded to adjust the cuffs of her suit as if to pretend to be all there. However, with how shaken she was, I could read at least one emotion on her face.

And that emotion was fear.

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked.

"I don't think you understand the threat that Ultra Beasts present," Anabel replied in a shaky voice. "The leaders of the International Police... they're scared. Terrified. In the space between worlds, there’s a potential, literal army floating around, and if those things think our world has any value to it, that's it. We're done."

She licked her lips nervously. My throat started to feel a bit dry.

"And how are you so sure about that?"

She scoffed.

"Witnesses have fallen through," she said. Then, hesitantly, she added, "I've fallen through."

At that moment, all the pieces fell together, and I felt my own expression fall in disbelief.

"You're... You're a Faller. You Anabel, but Anabel is a Frontier Brain. She’s still a Frontier Brain. You're not her, but an Anabel from another world! Did the International Police conscript you?! Were you forced into the role!?"

“N-no. Rumors of that are far overstated. I joined of my own accord.”

I wasn't able to respond. She was dropping a lot on me out of the blue. At the same time, I didn’t fail to notice the distant look in her eyes when she talked about joining.

Is she lying? Or... did she have some kind of experience with Ultra Beasts to warrant this fear?

"You need to take Cosmog out of this region to ensure she can’t acquire it with her own hands. She’s actively tracking the Pokémon’s position. Not only that, but the higher-ups of the International Police seem to be happy. They’re less concerned about invading Ultra Beasts. She’s sold them on some kind of plan, and I think she’s found a way to take control Ultra Beasts for herself.”

“...Beast Balls,” I mumbled.

"What?"

“Lusamine has Beast Balls. They’re the only type of Pokéball capable of capturing an Ultra Beast.”

“You mean to tell me the Aether Foundation has completed that prototype?!”

Anabel was openly gaping. Her eyes were as wide as they could go.

“That’s—That’s impossible! You know how useful those would be? One skilled trainer would be able to wear down and capture any loose Ultra Beast. We wouldn’t need to send entire teams for retrieval and removal!”

She started to pace, the woman losing all sense of professionalism she had before.

“Ultra Beasts are strong. Too strong. I saw what they could do. Is that why everyone is suddenly so relaxed? They plan to use Ultra Beasts to fight Ultra Beasts?”

I almost held out a hand, worried, but I drew it back before I could.

“Are you... okay?” I asked.

Her gaze snapped to me, blinking several times. Once more, she fidgeted to straighten out, but this time she actually managed to regain her composure.

“M-my apologies. I... I lost focus for a second there. Please, now more than ever, you need to take Cosmog and leave.”

I considered it. I really did. In truth, there was some merit to Anabel’s idea. Nebby had the potential to evolve into a Legendary Pokémon that could open and close Ultra Wormholes at will. He’d be able to both bring out and bring in Ultra Beasts as he pleased. If Lusamine was able to study him, there was a chance she’d gain the capability, too. Bringing him away from Alola would be a surefire way to make sure that never happened.

But, that was opposite to all our interests. Nebby was rapidly growing, and Lillie was doing everything to support him. Heck, we planned to visit the Lake of the Sun and Moon as soon as we could. Our journey practically revolved around his and Lillie’s growth. Taking him away would be purely detrimental. Both he and Lillie deserved to have the freedom to continue their journey. Anabel was missing something else, too.

I’d protect them. Hope would protect them, too. Every day, the pair of Pokémon and trainer were growing stronger, and, soon enough, I was confident Lillie and her team would be able to protect themselves without Hope and I needing to step in.

"Thanks for the information, but we’re not leaving the region," I said.

"Why?!" Anabel threw her hands up into the air. Once more, her professional air vanished.

"Cosmog—Nebby—is important because of the potential he holds. Leaving the region means abandoning all of that and letting Lusamine win. I refuse to put that pressure on him, and I refuse to dictate what he does. He’s a Pokémon. He has a trainer. What you’re suggesting is akin to forcibly tearing him away from his home. Not only that, but the International Police is afraid of Ultra Beasts? Really? Our world is protected by the efforts of Solgaleo and Lunala. We already have Pokémon to scare the Ultra Beasts away!"

Anabel merely scoffed in reply.

“Those Pokémon are too deep in Ultra Space. Why would they protect our world in specific when they’re too busy protecting so many other worlds at once?”

I sent her a blank look.

“You... you don’t know?”

I honestly had to suppress a laugh.

“Know what?”

“Hold on. This is pretty funny. Messed up, but it’s funny. You don’t know why Lusamine would be seeking out a Cosmog, would you?”

“...To use it as a latent power source of Ultra Wormhole energy?”

I actually let loose a few chuckles this time.

“Sure, but there’s more to it. Something important you’re missing. For the sake of Nebby’s safety, I won’t go into it. For now, I don’t think we have anything else to say to one another. I think we should split off here.”

Anabel frowned despite all her efforts not to.

“Would you tell me if I promised not to reveal that important detail?”

“I don’t trust you,” I said bluntly.

Her mouth opened, closed, and then her expression became completely unreadable once more.

“Thank you for your time, Alex,” she said pleasantly. “You’re right. It’s time for me to leave.”

“I agree. Thanks for the warning,” I said.

She hesitated once more, as if considering saying something else. Her eyes flicked to where Mawile still rode on Ninetales’s back, but then she turned and disappeared into the jungle.

I turned around too, affectionately petting Ninetales on her head and patting Mawile’s jaws as a sign of thanks.

I can’t believe it. They really missed that, huh?

I wasn’t sure if she had been misled by the Aether Foundation or if the Foundation wasn’t aware as well. But, based on that conversation, it seemed that the knowledge Nebby would eventually evolve into a Solgaleo or Lunala wasn’t known at all.

Once again, I couldn’t help but to laugh.

Days passed, and I had us pick up the pace when it came to training. Our Pokémon grew ever stronger, and I threw them into exercises comparable to those I did back during my Ace Trainer training as we pushed our way north.

Unless we wanted to swim or surf, continuing along the coastline was no longer possible, so Lillie and I traveled off-route for the first time in Lillie's journey. With her having claimed victory over six out of the seven Island Trials, her team had enough strength to handle the territorial, wild Pokémon. Our delayed meetup date with Hope let us take on the jungle slowly and carefully, giving Lillie ample chance to take on the tough Pokémon that fought us when we passed.

Packs of Passimian would lob hard fruits in volleys. Packs of aggressive Alolan Raticate would jump out in ambushes from between the trees. Groups of wild Fighting Type Pokémon, usually consisting of many bruised Crawbrawlers, would hold their own impromptu tournaments and force us to join. Regardless of what was sent our way, one by one, encounter by encounter, Lillie soundly defeated them all.

We skipped over the aquatic Route 15 and made our way to the short, beach route of Route 16. A Pokémon Center was the sole point of interest on the route, and that was our goal. It took over a week to reach there, but our path was arguably faster than having to deal with going over the water. Though, then again, riding on a boat or a Pokémon's back would have been much easier than going on foot, but then we would have missed out on these opportunities for training.

The Pokémon Center was still a welcome sight for a rest at the end of it, though.

"We'll have to make our way through Ula'ula Meadow, and the Lake of the Sun and Moon is off to its right,” I said, yawing outside of the Pokémon Center, having got a good night’s sleep for once the day before.

"And Po Town is after?" Lillie asked.

"Right. We’ll meet with the island's Kahuna and Guzma there," I replied.

Lillie absentmindedly nodded her head, obviously more concerned about the Lake of the Sun and Moon than any of my own plans. In truth, I was a little worried about Guzma, myself. I remembered that he was partially supported by Lusamine in the games, and I had to wonder if he was still a part of her plans here.

Did Lusamine give him any Beast Balls? Has he gone out and captured Ultra Beasts?

Probably not, but I wish Hope was here. I’d really have liked the chance to talk about it.

Regardless of anything going on in the background, my focus was still on Lillie’s ongoing training. With us and our teams having the chance to recover in a bit of civilization, I walked with her to the back of the Pokémon Center, where I clapped my hands and stood up a bit straighter to get her attention.

"Lillie!" I shouted.

She reflexively saluted, funnily enough.

"This training camp is almost over, so it's time for your final test!" I continued to shout.

She blinked at me while I began to pace, playing up the appearance of an experienced "commander." In truth, it was Hope I was mimicking, and it was her imitation of "drill-sergeant" Ramos that inspired this.

"A test?" Lillie asked.

"We've been training to get strong, and we’ve spent this past week pushing you to your limits. Now that you and your team has had a day’s rest, I want you to prove to me that you've grown. We’ve reached Route 16, so, Lillie, it’s finally time.” I paused, grinning, and I held up a Pokéball. “I challenge you to a Pokémon battle! Three of my Pokémon versus your full team! Prepare yourself, because I won't make this easy for you!"

Her eyes widened momentarily before a grin of her own blossomed onto her face.

"Yes!" She excitedly nodded her head. "I won't let you down!"

Time to act as a pretend Gym Leader. This’ll be fun.

I didn't plan on using any of my elite Pokémon for this battle, but I had a team of five that were right around where Lillie’s team was at. Sure, some of them were a bit tougher than her current team, but that just meant they could serve as the perfect challenge to let her consolidate her gains in a proper fight.

"Three on five. Your full team against carefully selected members of mine," I said.

"Y-yes!"

Lillie ran straight over to an empty battlefield, and I walked with confidence to stand opposite to her. I took on the posture that I’d seen so many other times when I’d faced Gyms in my own journey. This was less about a match for me, and more like a test for her.

With the Route 16 Pokémon Center being the only one around, as we moved to stand across from one another on a field, there were actually a decent number of people loitering about. A few of them noticed our battle and walked over to watch. Others who were practicing with their Pokémon slowed down to keep an eye on our match.

"As the challenger, I’ll let you decide when you want to begin. We won’t have a referee for this match," I said. “I’m experienced enough.”

Is it wrong I’m actually really enjoying this?

"Can I have a moment?" Lillie asked.

I nodded my head to give her my permission.

In response, she pulled out her journal, which she quickly read through. Several pages were flipped back and forth as Lillie mumbled under her breath. No doubt, with how her face was scrunched up in thought, Lillie was going over hypotheticals and plans she’d already considered in preparation of a fight against me.

“I’m ready,” Lillie eventually said after several minutes. A few more people moved to linger on the side of the field, creating a decent-sized crowd.

“Send out your Pokémon, then,” I called out.

Right away, we both grabbed our Pokéballs and tossed them forward, sending out our first team members.

"Snowy!"

"Togekiss!"

Lillie's eyes went wide.

"But you never start with one of your strongest!" she yelled.

"I said this would be a test, didn’t I?” I wagged a finger in admonishment. “I’m not going to hold back that much. Air Slash!"

Air Slash had developed from Air Cutter over the duration of our shared training camp, and it was now the strongest of Togekiss's moves. Unfortunately for Lillie, not only had Togekiss got a handle on her ability, Serene Grace, but she also had a stone King's Rock on her head—the same King's Rock Togekiss had won so long ago. Togekiss could flinch almost any Pokémon her attack hit.

"Icy Wind!" Lillie shouted.

I was proud of how Lillie tried to fall back to her strategy we developed together. With Togekiss’s skilled flight, lowering her speed was the best way to take her out.

For this exchange, however, the attacks came out quickly. Togekiss took off into the air, and Snowy let out a howl. The icy Vulpix released a blast of cold wind forward. Unfortunately, the Air Slash sliced right through it, and the cut impacted the fox's side and sent her bouncing back.

The growing crowd let out a sympathetic groan while Lillie gasped in worry.

"Snowy!" she shouted.

Togekiss circled in the air, smiling merrily, and I waited to see what Lillie would do next.

Turns out, Lillie wasn’t going to wait to make her first switch. Snowy was quickly returned to let Lillie switch to a new team member. After all, while an Alolan Vulpix would technically have a Type advantage, Lillie correctly understood that Snowy didn’t have the power to match up against my current Pokémon.

"What next, Lillie? You're facing a tough opponent and you need a solid plan,” I said.

She opened her mouth then frowned.

"I really thought you'd send out Eevee here."

"I probably would have if this wasn't a test," I said with a shrug.

A few more seconds passed as Lillie seemed unable to make a decision. She kept her hand above her Pokéballs at her waist as she hovered over several of them, struggling to make a choice.

Then, a pause, and with a loud slap, Lillie slammed her hands into both of her cheeks—hard, at that. As she drew her hands away, I was left blinking at the dual red marks left behind. Despite the pain the action probably caused, it did seem to successfully snap Lillie out of her initial funk.

"You got me, Alex, but you won't get me for long! Togekiss might be strong, but I have the perfect Pokémon counter: Shiinotic! Come on out!"

And then the bipedal mushroom appeared on the field.

I raised an eyebrow at that choice.

"A Grass Type against a Flying Type? Are you sure?"

"You know more than anyone that Type Advantage isn't everything,” she replied.

I smiled at the cheekiness she was displaying.

"You're right. It isn't."

With that exchange out of the way, Lillie was quick to point forward with a grin.

"Alright, Shiinotic! Exactly as we planned! Use Leech Seed repeatedly!"

Shiinotic proceeded to do the same thing he did against Clefable in their spar not too long ago. He waved his hands, spread out a cloud of a powder, then he shot a trio of Leech Seeds right through it to send towards Togekiss.

This strategy was similar to how Whimsicott liked to poison his Leech Seeds, but the status move Shiinotic used made it so much more dangerous. In this case, he didn’t lace them with poison, but he used Sleep Powder to ensure anyone who was hit with them was put to sleep.

"Dodge! Don't get hit by those seeds!" I shouted.

The incoming Leech Seed forced Togekiss to duck down in the air, and Shiinotic continued to expand its spore cloud and launch Leech Seeds from the ground.

I held my tongue to not make any interrupting orders, mostly because I wanted to see what Lillie’s true plan was. On the floor of the battlefield, Shiinotic wasn't necessarily unleashing any true attacks, but his cloud of floating Sleep Powder was growing larger and larger by the second.

"Interesting," I mumbled. "But not enough. Togekiss! Sweep it all away!"

Ruining whatever this was, Togekiss went ahead and dipped her wing as she circled above the field. A line was drawn in the air that split before being sent down. Several simultaneous arcs of Air Slash carved through the field’s mist. With those windy Flying Type attacks, the spore cloud was cut apart and dissipated.

"Now," I continued. "Go ahead and unleash a Moonblast."

Togekiss gladly complied.

Shouting her name, Togekiss launched a sparkling, pink sphere from her mouth. Shiinotic wasn’t fast enough to dodge as it burst against the top of its mushroomy head.

"Shiinotic!" Lillie shouted.

Enough dust was knocked out of its body to briefly block any view. However, those spores quickly faded, and Shiinotic proved to be still conscious and ready to go.

"Great job!" Lillie shouted to her moderately injured Pokémon. "Thank you, Shiinotic. We need to lure Togekiss down!"

I listened in carefully. I wanted to hear her new plan.

"If we need to handle Togekiss... I got it! Try to use Confuse Ray! And aim high!"

That was confusing—Lillie knew that Togekiss was familiar with moves like Confuse Ray. It was Ninetales's bread and butter, so of course Togekiss knew how to dodge. When the ghostly beam left Shiinotic's eyes, Togekiss easily ducked and weaved to get out of the way, heading lower to avoid how the attack was aimed high in the sky.

It took me a moment, but I soon caught on.

The Confuse Rays weren't intended to actually confuse Togekiss, but to use her agility against her by guiding her towards the ground. By repeatedly angling them so high, it was easier for her to dodge by ducking, and thus Togekiss was being lured closer and closer to the range of Shiinotic’s spores that were beginning to spread out over the field once more.

"You're getting too close!" I shouted.

Togekiss came to that realization a moment too late.

"Now, Shiinotic!"

Another Leech Seed sailed forward. Togekiss managed to create a quick Air Cutter—notably, she wasn't able to create an Air Slash fast enough—and her wing sliced the incoming seeds in two. However, the seeds were laced with Sleep Powder just like the rest, and while cut, the dust on their shells still had the momentum to continue forward.

As a result, the spores tickled her nose and Togekiss sneezed. Almost immediately after, her eyes drooped from the reaction the move forced onto her. Drowsily, she began to list towards the ground, and Togekiss became too tired to do anything but control her flight.

Lillie just grinned.

"Go ahead, Shiinotic! Do it!" she cheered.

When Togekiss touched down, Shiinotic was already waiting for her. He spread out his spindly fingers over her side, and with that touch, he began to drain her of her energy.

Lingering spores ensured she didn’t wake up. What energy that was contained within Togekiss was instead drawn out to invigorate Shiinotic. Before too long, this strategy had spelled the end of Togekiss’s role in the match.

“That’s it for Togekiss. Good job, Lillie,” I said as I returned my Pokémon.

Lillie snapped her head towards me. Her mouth dropped open out of disbelief.

"R-really?"

"Yup. You’ve taken out the first of my Pokémon. And with an exceedingly clever strategy, too.”

It took a few seconds for my words to sink in. Lillie stood there in utter disbelief as she was forced to process that statement. Slowly, however, she began to realize that, yes, she did just beat one of my Pokémon. A Pokémon trained by an elite trainer had fallen to her carefully created strategy.

It didn’t matter that Togekiss was still in training. It didn’t matter that we had technically held back. What mattered was that Lillie had been tested, and, more importantly, she had won.

"Hear that? Shiinotic, we... we beat Togekiss!"

She ran onto the battlefield, completely disregarding the most basic of Pokémon League rules. Shiinotic carefully forced its spores away just in time for Lillie to glomp him into a hug.

“We did it! We did it! We did it!”

She jumped around Shiinotic in glee.

I gave her a bit longer to celebrate until I finally went ahead and reminded Lillie what was going on.

"Now hold on there, Lillie. This match isn't over."

She paused, blinking. A few people watching off to the side chuckled at her antics.

"O-of course! Yes!" she said.

She brushed off her clothes as if to properly ready herself.

"Two more Pokémon to go. We'll win in the end, Alex!"

"We'll see about that."

With a smirk, I sent out my next Pokémon.

For this fight, I very much doubted that Lillie would beat Mimikyu anywhere near as easily.